I . IRA
( in full Individual Retirement Account )
a US government plan that allows people to put part of their income into special bank accounts. No tax has to be paid on this money until they retire.
II . the IRA
( in full the Irish Republican Army )
an illegal Irish terrorist organization which believes that Northern Ireland and the Irish Republic should be united under one government. It was formed in 1919, but became more active after 1968, when British soldiers began to be based permanently in Northern Ireland. During this period of ‘the Troubles ’, the IRA committed many acts of violence in Northern Ireland, England and other countries, including the Birmingham and Guildford pub bombs (1974) and the Enniskillen bomb (1987). In 1994 a ceasefire (= a period during which there is no fighting) was declared, which ended in 1996 but was declared again in 1997. The military part of the IRA is often referred to as the Provisional IRA (also called the Provisionals or the Provos). Sinn Fein is often called the ‘political wing’ of the IRA.